The warm breath of morning drifted through the city, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and daily life awakening.
Rien stepped out of his apartment and quietly closed the door behind him.
"You heading somewhere?"
The voice came from nearby.
Rien turned slightly and saw Woo-jin watching him.
"Yes," Rien replied with a calm nod. "I have some business to take care of."
Woo-jin folded his arms and stared at him for a moment before clearing his throat.
"Be back before six in the evening. After that, the doors are locked. Our rules apply to everyone."
His tone was firm and left no room for argument.
Rien simply nodded.
"I understand."
With that, he headed downstairs.
The city greeted him with its usual rhythm. People moved along the sidewalks, shopkeepers opened their stores, and vehicles flowed through the streets like an endless river of steel.
Rien walked calmly, his hands resting in his pockets as he observed the world around him.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"What an interesting place."
He stopped at a traffic signal, waiting as cars and trucks sped past.
Then—
A fragment of conversation drifted into his ears.
A group of men walked behind him.
"We scored some good stuff today."
One of them laughed.
"And that smartphone from last night? Expensive as hell. The tall guy's wallet wasn't bad either."
The others grinned as they continued walking.
Rien's gaze shifted toward them.
His expression remained calm.
Unchanged.
But his eyes quietly followed their movements.
Without a word, he stepped forward and began trailing them from a distance.
The men turned off the main road and entered an abandoned district hidden behind the modern city.
Broken walls.
Rust-covered fences.
Half-collapsed buildings.
A forgotten corner of civilization.
The group disappeared deeper inside.
Rien watched them vanish before turning his attention elsewhere.
An umbrella shop stood nearby.
A small bell chimed as he pushed open the door and entered.
The shop owner, a middle-aged woman, looked up with a welcoming smile.
"How may I help you, sir?"
"I'd like to buy an umbrella."
The woman immediately guided him toward a display shelf.
"We just received a new shipment. This one is especially popular."
She carefully pulled out a beautifully crafted blue umbrella decorated with intricate layered patterns.
"Honestly, sir, it suits you."
Rien examined it for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"I'll take it."
The woman blinked.
"Just like that?"
A soft laugh escaped her lips before she packed the umbrella into a long rectangular box and handed it over.
As Rien accepted it, she couldn't help but ask,
"Are you sure you need it packed? The weather is perfectly clear today. It's June nineteenth, after all."
Rien paid her and took the box.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Soon..."
His gaze drifted toward the bright sky beyond the shop window.
"...it will rain."
The woman looked outside.
Not a single cloud could be seen.
When she looked back, Rien was already walking toward the exit.
Halfway through the doorway, he suddenly stopped.
Turning his head slightly, he asked,
"The pathway beside your shop."
The woman looked at him.
"Yes?"
"Why is it restricted?"
Understanding flashed across her face.
"Oh, that place."
She nodded.
"It used to be part of a construction project. The government halted it because of some legal disputes. Since then, the entire area has been sealed off from public access."
"I see."
Rien inclined his head.
"Thank you."
The woman smiled politely.
The bell rang once more as he left.
Outside, the city continued moving as if nothing unusual existed beneath its surface.
Rien adjusted his grip on the umbrella box.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped toward the restricted pathway.
Past the warning signs.
Past the rusted barriers.
And into the forgotten shadows of the abandoned district.
The sunlight behind him slowly faded.
Ahead—
Only silence remained.
The abandoned tunnel stretched deep beneath the forgotten district.
Trash littered the ground.
Empty alcohol bottles lay scattered across the cracked concrete, while the stale scent of smoke and cheap liquor lingered heavily in the air.
Rien walked through the darkness with steady steps.
His expression remained calm.
Composed.
Unbothered.
At the center of the tunnel, five men sat around a pile of stolen belongings, sorting through wallets, phones, and jewelry.
One of them grinned.
"We hit the jackpot this time."
He held up a handful of cash.
"Let's sell the rest and enjoy ourselves."
The others laughed.
Then—
Footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The laughter faded.
All five men turned toward the darkness.
A lone figure emerged from the shadows.
Rien.
His hands rested casually in his pockets as a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Hello, gentlemen."
His calm voice echoed through the tunnel.
The men immediately stood up.
One of them narrowed his eyes.
"And who the hell are you?"
Rien's gaze slowly swept across the stolen items.
Then it stopped.
A smartphone.
A wallet.
His smartphone.
His wallet.
"There they are."
He looked back at the group.
"One of you stole those from me near the airport last night."
His tone remained polite.
"I simply came to retrieve my belongings. Please hand them over."
For a moment, silence filled the tunnel.
Then one of the thieves stepped forward.
A knife appeared in his hand.
"And if we don't?"
A cruel smile spread across his face.
Without warning, he lunged forward.
The blade flashed.
But before it could reach its target—
Rien moved.
His hand shot forward and seized the man's wrist.
CRACK.
The thief screamed.
His wrist twisted at an unnatural angle as his body folded from the pain.
The knife slipped from his fingers and clattered across the concrete floor.
Rien looked at him calmly.
"I only asked for my phone and wallet."
The next moment—
BAM!
A single kick struck the thief square in the face.
The man flew backward and crashed into the ground unconscious.
The tunnel fell silent.
The remaining four men stared in shock.
Then another thief roared and charged.
"Die!"
He lowered his body and wrapped both arms around Rien's waist, trying to force him backward.
Rien didn't even move.
It felt as if the man had collided with a steel pillar.
"I don't have time to play children's games."
Rien calmly placed the umbrella box on the ground.
Then—
THUD!
His palm struck the man's back.
The impact echoed through the tunnel.
The thief's eyes rolled back instantly.
His body collapsed to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Two down.
Three remained.
Rien slowly raised his eyes toward them.
"Are you certain you wish to continue?"
His voice was calm.
Yet the pressure behind those words made the air feel heavier.
The three men unconsciously stepped back.
Then suddenly—
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the tunnel.
A young man appeared from the darkness.
His hands rested inside his pockets as he casually walked forward.
The three thieves immediately brightened.
"Boss!"
The newcomer stopped beside them and glanced at the unconscious men lying on the ground.
"What happened here?"
One of the thieves hurriedly pointed toward Rien.
"This guy came to take back his phone and wallet."
The young man's eyes shifted toward Rien.
A confident smirk appeared on his face.
"You know..."
He cracked his neck.
"...we don't offer return services."
Rien looked at him quietly.
"Those belongings are mine."
"I came here to retrieve them."
The young man laughed.
Then suddenly threw a punch with all his strength.
"Then take them!"
WHAM!
The punch landed directly on Rien's face.
Or at least—
It should have.
Rien didn't move.
Didn't stagger.
Didn't even blink.
The smile slowly disappeared from the young man's face.
Rien looked down at him.
A calm smile appeared.
"As you said."
Before anyone could react—
His hand shot forward.
Grabbing the young man's arm.
Then—
BAM!
A punch.
BAM!
Another.
BAM!
Another.
The sound of fists colliding with flesh echoed through the tunnel.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The three remaining thieves stood frozen in terror.
"What the hell is happening...?"
One of them whispered.
Finally, Rien stopped.
The young man's body collapsed onto the concrete.
His face was swollen beyond recognition.
Several teeth scattered across the floor.
Blood streamed from his broken nose.
Yet he was still breathing.
Rien looked down at him for a moment.
Then turned away.
He picked up his smartphone and wallet from the pile of stolen goods and slipped them back into his pocket.
Afterward, he glanced toward the remaining thieves.
"Take him to a hospital."
His tone remained calm.
One of the men hesitated.
"We... we don't have the money."
Rien stared at them for a second.
Then reached into his pocket.
He pulled out several bills and handed them over.
The thieves froze.
"Go quickly."
Rien picked up the umbrella box.
"He won't tolerate that pain much longer."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
The tunnel grew silent once more.
Only the sound of his footsteps remained.
---
As Rien emerged from the abandoned district, the sky had completely changed.
Dark clouds rolled across the heavens like an approaching army.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The wind grew colder.
Then—
The first raindrop fell.
Another followed.
Then another.
Within moments, rain began cascading from the sky.
Rien looked upward.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Right on time."
He opened the long box.
The blue umbrella slid into his hand.
With a smooth motion, he unfolded it above his head.
Whoosh.
Rain hammered against the umbrella's surface.
Yet not a single drop touched him.
Rien calmly continued walking through the storm.
The cold wind swept through the city streets, carrying sheets of rain across the buildings.
As he passed the umbrella shop, the owner happened to glance outside through the glass window.
Her eyes widened.
The handsome young man stood beneath the very umbrella he had purchased earlier.
And now—
It was raining exactly as he had predicted.
The woman instinctively bowed her head in greeting.
Rien noticed her through the glass.
He simply nodded in return.
Then continued forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Beneath the blue umbrella.
Beneath the falling rain.
People rushed past him from every direction.
Some sprinted toward bus stops.
Others crowded beneath storefront roofs.
A few stared at him in confusion as he walked through the heart of the storm with the same calm expression he always wore.
The rain continued to fall.
The wind continued to howl.
The city continued to race.
But Rien walked forward at his own pace.
A lone figure beneath a blue umbrella, disappearing into the storm as cold winds swept through the city.